Those Fallen Angels
by sweepingly
Summary: Tieria reflects upon humanity, camaraderie and his fellow meisters.


Them. They're beyond his calculations - cannot be quantified, judged in binary the way Tieria's accustomed to. He watches them, observes their raw passion, their intent, with fascination.

His name wasn't always Allelujah, Tieria knows. There's no data in Veda pertaining to this – it's due to Sumeragi's mission plan that they've come to learn of subject E-57 but that's not nearly _human _enough for that young boy, barely twenty years of age, who lives and dies by every moment. His name cannot be a number, for there's too much life in him; and, Tieria has come to believe, too much weakness. He's the personification of humanity's flaws and yet somehow more fascinating in his mannerisms than repulsive, too foolishly kind to live in today's universe – too _twisted_, too broken to die.

Unfit to be named a Gundam Meister as he may be, there's no denying that Allelujah Haptism is an extraordinary being. (Honestly, hadn't they all royally sabotaged themselves at critical moments recently? Each Gundam Meister had been judged by Veda's all-seeing eyes and found lacking.)

And now they truly are fallen angels, their link with God severed, and Tieria is pained by the absence. To be abandoned by Veda in such a world as this, with men such as _these _(so human it _burns_) cannot serve any purpose. Alone, he can be competent, yes, but he is on the same level as _those three_, and he'd rather fly blindly into battle than think about what that means.

So these are humans?

It was Lockon who touched him first, first aiming to kill Setsuna and then abruptly laughing, careless, touching his shoulder and saying, "let's change the world with our Gundam," and Tieria couldn't understand whether Lockon Stratos, Gundam Meister and wielder of the Dynames Gundam, was fundamentally unstable or just an idiot. What phenomenal odds that such an imprecise, irrational fool would cause his first involuntary smile, would teach him comradeship along with Setsuna F. Seiei. Would save his life, allowing him to see something beyond Veda and victory and force him to learn to _care_.

"You're _incessant_," he'd gesticulated wildly, en route to calculate something that would shortly fade into insignificance, on the morning or evening or afternoon (there is nothing circadian in space) of Lockon Stratos' premature departure from this imperfect world. _Why would you do that? _His constant inner mantra of 'fool, fool fool,' kept what just might have been concern or gratitude lurking unacknowledged in his chest.

Allelujah tossed him a silent askance glance, but Tieria only deflected it with a scowl and prepared for his standard laconic stalk-off. He was expecting Lockon – no, Neil Dylandy – to spout some strikingly mature comment in return and just laugh at Tieria's mood swings as usual, but the silence that followed said more than the prevaricating of Lockon Stratos ever could.

It's not a memory he reflects on, nor one that conjures any sense of fondness, but that small splinter of time spent sniping at the one who could shoot a target quite easily from halfway across the stratosphere will be embedded into Tieria, Setsuna, _all of them_ until they, too, are crushed by the will of those mere humans (and he can't help but think of it that way, now; too much has been compromised for their planned endgame to occur, but they'll all see it to the end because Gundam Meisters - Celestial Being, those fallen angels – is all they will ever be).

That forced emotion not only taught him to care, but offered him something to fight for. Something _real_.

In the end, he only impact Neil Dylandy ever left on the world is that now they – Tieria, Setsuna, Allelujah, Sumeragi Lee Noreiga and everyone on board 'Ptolemy - will fight to change it for him, too. For all those lost. And although Tieria Erde failed to repay his debt to Lockon in life, he'll ensure that the wielder of Dynames has his will implemented even as he pays for his sins – all the lives he's cost the world – in that human afterlife they hold such faith in.

But each knows of the evils he has committed, and even now the promise holds: they'll not repent.


End file.
